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The Last Green Valley, Inc. recently awarded a $2,500 Heritage Transaction Grant to the Wyndham Land Trust to help in its ongoing effort to protect Bull Hill, a more than 3,000-acre undisturbed forest straddling Thompson and Woodstock.
“Bull Hill is an exciting place for those concerned with preserving the forests of The Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor,” said Lois Bruinooge, executive director of TLGV. “Wyndham Land Trust has done tremendous work in a short time to ensure this largely unfragmented forest stays that way.”
The $2,500 grant will be matched 1:1 and is needed for legal fees to finalize the donation of two parcels of landlocked forest on Bull Hill totaling 19 acres. The parcels abut land owned by the Town of Thompson and Wyndham Land Trust. The parcels contain a segment of north-south trail that connects the entire Bull Hill Forest.
Andy Rzeznikiewicz, a board member for Wyndham Land Trust and the project director for the grant, said these parcels posed a challenge for the land trust.
“These two particular parcels require more legal work than usual land transactions,” Rzeznikiewicz said. “Before the transaction can be completed, three previous owners who all died must have their estates go through probate. The probate process was never done in the past.  In order for the land trust to take ownership the land titles must be clear. This is a lengthy process, which our attorney will work through.”
The Heritage Transaction Fund was conceived as a program to help organizations such as Wyndham Land Trust close the gaps in funding for projects. Another round of the grant program will be opening soon.

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About three minutes into overtime Oct. 26, Woodstock Academy sophomore striker Eric Phongsa took a through ball from Alejandro Quintas Gonzalez.
His shot off the pass found the back of the net and the Centaurs began the celebration.
One thing had not occurred yet.
There was no sign of a goal from the official.
“The signals the referee was giving weren’t very clear. Did he disallow the goal? Call offsides?
There was a moment of hesitation,” said Woodstock Academy coach Paul Rearden.
An offside call was a possibility as Gonzalez had made the pass from just outside the area into Phongsa.
Fortunately, after the brief hesitation, the officials did indicate the goal was good and the fourth-seeded Centaurs prevailed 1-0 over No. 5 Bacon Academy in the Eastern Connecticut Conference Division 1 boys’ soccer tournament quarterfinal match.
The Centaurs moved on to meet Stonington on Tuesday in New London in a semifinal match that ended too late for this edition.
Woodstock Academy was dominant throughout, according to Rearden, against Bacon Academy (9-7-1).
“I never thought we were going to lose it,” Rearden said. “It was just about putting the ball into the net.”
The Centaurs (10-5-2) had several good opportunities to do so in regulation.
Matt LaBounty had two good chances early in the second half, but was thwarted on both attempts by the Bacon defense.
Phongsa came within inches of what Rearden described as the potential goal of the season for the team in the second half.
The ball started in the Woodstock Academy area and eight passes later, Phongsa, coming in from the far post, got his foot on a cross, but his shot went wide.
Bacon had only one good opportunity to score, but the Centaurs had to work to keep the Bobcats from getting many looks.
“It was a really tight game against a good, well-organized, and physically strong team. The boys had to dig deep and run themselves ragged to stand any chance,” said Rearden.
The post-regulation speech, after 80 minutes was played without a score, sounded almost identical to the one Rearden had delivered at halftime. Rearden just urged them to continue what they were doing and good things would happen.
“The boys have the belief now if we keep doing what we do, we will find a way to win,” Rearden said. “We’re playing well, moving the ball around well, we kept our shape and discipline and kept on making chances.”
They just needed one to go in and Phongsa finally delivered three minutes into the extra period.
Rearden said any question as to whether there should have been an offside call made was quickly when Rearden shook hands with the Bacon Academy coaching staff.
“I was speaking to them, literally, a minute later and if it had been in doubt that it was offside, they would have still been riled up. They said (Phongsa) was onside,” Rearden said.
The Centaurs finished up the regular season Oct. 22 with a 2-2 tie with Windham.
Chase Anderson scored his first goal of the season with eight minutes left in regulation to knot the game with the Whippets (13-3-1).
Sean Rearden’s corner found the head of Cole Hackett but his shot was knocked away. The rebound went to Anderson who knocked it in.
Quintas Gonzalez scored the first goal for the Centaurs who finished the regular season with a 9-5-2 mark.
“To be honest with you, I was hoping to get 10 wins, double figures. I even went as far as submitting the (ECC tournament) score (to the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference website) but it wouldn’t let me,” Rearden said with a laugh.
League tournament matches do not count toward CIAC records.
Still, Rearden was happy that his Centaurs did clinch a share of the ECC Division II regular season title and have advanced to the league semifinals.
Marc Allard
Sports Information Director
The Woodstock Academy

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caption, page 7:


Headmaster Donald Cushing with HOF Ta’Quan Zimmerman

Athletic Director and HOF inductee Tom Espinosa and HOF inductee Ron Coderre



PUTNAM — At the recent Putnam Science Academy inaugural Athletic Hall of Fame eight were inducted.
Four former athletes, a contributor, coach, super fan and a team were inducted into the Putnam Science Academy Hall of Fame. The 7-foot big man Rundell Mauge, who played for the Mustangs back in 2008, still holds the record for most points (44), rebounds (26) and blocks (15) in a single game. Mauge also swatted everything in sight with 187 blocks in a single season.
Enes Ulukaya, who played for PSA from 2006 through 2009 and accumulated 580 points, was also inducted. Ulukaya also helped PSA capture its first Coastal Prep League Championship which it went on to win 3 straight times.
Ta’Quan Zimmerman scored 26.6 points per game in his lone season and that remains the most ever per game by a Mustang with players like UConn product Mamadou Diarra and Kentucky-Wildcat-turned-NBA-pro Hamidou Diallo playing in the same gym.
Dayshon “Scoochie” Smith went on to play at Division I Dayton where he made his mark before playing in the Cleveland Cavaliers organization. Scoochie scored over 1,000 points at PSA and ranks first all-time in steals with 205 in 2012 through 2013.
The 2012-2013 basketball team reached the Elite 8 in the National Prep Championship tournament after an impressive 29-5 record. At the time, that was the furthest the Mustangs have ever gone in the National Prep tournament.
Bryan Sailor, an outgoing fan who has become family at PSA, was inducted as a Super Fan for his time and effort that he puts in to the program at Putnam Science. Sailor has attended more than 90 percent of all PSA games.
Ron Coderre was voted in undoubtedly as a contributor for what he has been able to do for not only PSA as a school but their athletics as well. Coderre was the first to cover Putnam Science Academy basketball by writing in the local papers and also helped develop the “Mustang Club” which still to this day is PSA’s biggest fund-raiser.
The last induction was Tom Espinosa. “Espo” coached multiple sports before settling in as the head men’s basketball coach where he has gone on to win 79 percent of his games. Espinosa has not only won during the regular season but he also won when it mattered most bringing home the 2018 National Prep Championship last year. In his time at Putnam Science Academy, Espo is responsible for helping send more than 40 athletes to Division I programs across the country.
Josh Sanchas
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy
 

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caption, page 6:

Drug Take Back
Putnam PRIDE and the Putnam Police Department held a drug take back event at the Riverview Marketplace Oct. 27. Left to right: Putnam Police Officer Joe Sharkey, Romeo Blackmar, PRIDE coordinator; and Joy Blackmar. Linda Lemmon photo.




PRIDE's
proud
contributions
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
As the Putnam PRIDE coalition takes its next step with its upcoming merger with the Hale YMCA, its programs are a proud monument of more than 10 years of hard work.
The town's PRIDE donations account, which totals more than  $13,000, is on the agenda for a special town meeting Nov. 5. Electors are being asked to authorize the transfer of the donations account to the Hale YMCA. 
Putnam PRIDE Coordinator Romeo Blackmar said: "Our biggest anticipated change for the future (with Hale YMCA) is expanding the reach of substance abuse prevention to as many communities as possible in the Quiet Corner.  It is our hope and desire to continue to carry the message that 'Prevention is Key' to saving the lives of our children … one child at a time."
Blackmar said PRIDE was established under the Drug Free Communities Grant in October of 2006 for the first cycle of funding for five years ending in September of 2011.  After two years of not qualifying for a second five years of DFC funding, PRIDE finally was able to secure the second cycle of funding starting October 2013 and ending Sept. 2018.
Funding has run out and the Drug Free Community Grant is no longer renewable under the current legislation he said, "so PRIDE needed to join with another nonprofit organization and the YMCA stepped up and offered to adopt the PRIDE mission as part of the YMCA’s goals."
If, and when, the town voters approve of the transfer of the PRIDE donation account, the YMCA will become fully responsible for the coalition, he added.  Blackmar said plans for completing the takeover of PRIDE are still not 100 percent clear right now.  "We will continue to meet with the executive director of the Hale YMCA with a 'Task Force' to be formed to make the necessary arrangements to complete the merger. " Blackmar said he is now acting as the coalition liaison to the Y in assisting the transition.
Blackmar is proud of several programs Putnam PRIDE spearheaded. In fact, PRIDE twice garnered national recognition. Blackmar said: "PRIDE has been cited nationally by the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA).  In 2015 we were one of the first coalitions to conduct Mobile Drug Take Backs in our Senior and Public Housing units.  PRIDE was selected as one of only 10 presenters at the CADCA Conference in Washington D.C. 'Ideas Fair' for our Mobile Drug Take Back campaign.  In 2017 PRIDE was cited as a 'Noteworthy Entry' in the 'Know More Before You Pour' Social Media Competition conducted by CADCA and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.  This campaign 'There are no “Apps” for Saving Their Lives' was a product of several members of our local media partnerships."
Blackmar said some of the PRIDE initiatives to reduce and eliminate underage drinking, tobacco, marijuana and other drug use will continue to be targeted in the seven towns that are currently being served by the YMCA.  "The events that PRIDE has been part of in the past like Particle Accelerator, Drug Take Back Days, Healthy Kids Day, Family Day celebration, Red Ribbon Week… are all initiatives that we would like to see continued and expanded under the new leadership of the YMCA," he said.
He added: "Our Drug Take Backs have been a proven success. At one point 2015-16 PRIDE was the only Drug Free Community Coalition in the state to have all three of the DFC Grant programs at the same time.  We were able to secure a four-year STOP ACT Grant in 2012 and a two-year DFC Mentoring Grant in 2015-16 to become a Mentor to the Griswold PRIDE Coalition.  In that same year our  PRIDE Logo was adopted by the Windham DFC Coalition as part of their restructuring.
"We also have seen a steady reduction in the use of alcohol and tobacco products by our targeted age group of youth ages 12-17.  In conjunction with the Putnam Police  Department and the State Liquor and Tobacco Control, we have seen fewer violations of sales to minors in the community.  One of the major initiatives started back in 2009 was the elimination of sales of drug paraphernalia in gas stations and stores.  This was a program started by former Police Chief Rick Hayes and the Putnam Business Association in cooperation with PRIDE.  Making Putnam a 'Safe and Friendly”' community was part of the ongoing Community Policing policies established by Chief Hayes."
The Drug Take Back program is held twice a year, even if the DEA did not sponsor them, he said. PRIDE and the Putnam Police Department were at the Riverview Marketplace Oct. 27. Folks in 30 cars turned in a little more than 30 pounds of prescription drugs. That's the lowest amount collected, but Blackmar blames the wicked weather.  The DEA Drug Take Back started here in September 2010. He said Putnam PRIDE has had a total of 17. The average take back is 150 pounds. In total, Take Back days have brought in little more than 2,500 pounds and the Prescription Drug Box at the Putnam Police Department lobby has taken in 3,500 pounds since it was installed in May 2013, Blackmar said.  So the total collected is 6,000 pounds. "We haven’t included the P.D. drop box for this year, but on average they are getting 40-60 pounds every two months.  (About 500-750 lbs. in the take back box alone every year.)" he said.
Blackmar has served as PRIDE coordinator since February of 2009 until October of 2011, when funding ran out the first time.  From 2011-2013 he served as a volunteer Coalition chairman.   In 2013 he was rehired as coordinator and has served in that capacity until the grant ended in September.   Blackmar said: "Over the past 12 years more than 75 adults and some 425 students have participated in one way or another with PRIDE and for that I will always be grateful for their contributions in making Putnam 'A Safer, Friendlier and Healthier' Community. "

Blackmar said  the reasons so many prescriptions are dropped off are: Overprescribing of medications in the past has been a source of the large amounts being collected both on Take Back and in the P.D. Box.  and a lot of people have been holding onto medications that have expired or have had adverse reactions to them and are discarding them soon after having a reaction.

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